AgWomen Peta Bradley

At 21 Peta Bradley is well on the way to securing her career within the Australian wool industry. Currently studying a Bachelor of Rural Science at the University of New England, at Armidale, she has come from a life on the land to the realm of academia with aspirations of giving back to the world of wool. She envisages a career with extension work before ultimately returning to the family farm.

Peta’s 3500 acre family farm is located near Armatree in northern New South Wales where crops stand alongside a commercial Merino flock and the New Armatree Border Leicester Stud. Her father is an agronomist and her mother a talented stockwoman and industry leader, so it is easy to see how Peta and her brother developed a love of agriculture and of sheep. This love was strengthened at high school where Peta was involved in Junior Judging andagricultural shows, even competing at the Sydney Royal Easter Show – the pinnacle of the show movement in Australia – at age 15.

Now at university Peta continues her involvement with agricultural shows and was one of a group of women who re-instated the sheep section at the Armidale Show. Through this she actively inspires younger people to become involved in Junior Judging. Peta takes every opportunity to increase her knowledge of the sheep and wool industry. She has worked with Merino and Border Leicester Studs across the state and with her family’s stud has used new-age technologies and been involved in several research programs to ensure they remain at the forefront of the industry.

Currently in the process of completing her honours project in sheep genetics Peta embraces the new technologies becoming available to agriculture and believes they are the key to providing food and fibre to a growing world population. In 2016 she was awarded a NSW Farmers Tertiary Scholarship, which allowed her to travel to China to gain a better understanding of how technology and agribusiness combine.

As the nature of farming shifts and evolves Peta will be one of the researchers combining cutting edge scientific methods with traditional values to ensure the continued success of Australian agriculture. "I love the ever-changing nature of our agricultural systems; the emerging technologies and shifting challenges make it a rewarding field to be part of. To produce the high-quality wool and top-notch lamb that is highly-valued globally is incredibly rewarding. The ability to utilize technologies in a hands-on approach is why I love being part of Australia’s sheep and wool industry."

You sound as though your love for agriculture started from an early point in your life and has blossomed into the life you lead now. The industry is very lucky to have you working towards a better future with the Australian sheep and wool industry at the forefront.